Carton



March 31, 1964 w. P. JACOBSON 3,127,088

CARTON Filed Dec. 21, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR.

WILWOBSON BY I ATTORNEYS United States Patent M 3,127,988 CARTON William I. Jacobson, Neenah, Wis., assignor to American Can Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 21, 1962, Ser. No. 246,497 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-51) This invention relates to a tamperproof, reducible and reclosable carton which may be made from a single blank. More specifically, the invention relates to a carton for portion packaging where part of the product is used and the carton reduced in size and reclosed to protect the remainder of the product.

In many instances products are packaged in quantities such that the product container is not emptied all at one time. It is important after the initial opening and partial use of the product that the container, can be reclosed to protect the remainder of product. Furthermore, it is advantageous to be able to easily reduce the carton in size after a predetermined amount of the product has been used. Reduction in the container size is important in terms of ease of handling as Well as increasing available storage space.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a tamperproof carton which is readily opened and reclosed.

Another primary object of the present invention is to provide a tamperproof carton which can be reduced in size and reclosed.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a carton which, by its construction, directs the user to employ the opening means.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a carton construction that can be readily set up, filled with the commodity to be packaged and sealed by automatic machinery.

The above objects are accomplished by providing a carton construction having a hinged easy-opening means with a pull tab which, When opened, provides an aperture in one of the side panels for ready dispensing of the contents. Reclosure of the aperture is accomplished by folding in the hinged opening means and tucking in the pull tab. When the contents of the carton has been decreased sufliciently, the opening means as Well as portions of one of the main panels and the opposite side panel are removed. The remaining upper portions of the carton are then folded down to reduce the size of the carton and to form a closure.

Further details, advantages and objects of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and appended drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of an integral blank suitably cut and scored to form a tamperproof, reclosable and reducible carton,

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the blank of FIG- URE 1 partially set up and glued to form a carton shell,

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the completed carton,

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the completed carton after employment of the opening means to gain access to the interior of the carton,

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the carton with the opening means as well as a portion of adjoining main panel and opposite side panel removed,

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the carton reduced in size, and

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of the reduced carton with the reclosure element held firmly in place.

Referring first to FIGURE 1, the carton is made of a single foldable blank of flexible material such as paperboard. The blank is divided by score lines -26, 29

3,127,088 Patented Mar. 31, 1964 and 3%), cut lines 31, 32 and perforation line 38 into hingedly connected panels, tab and flaps including pull tab 10, glue flap 11, side panels 12, 14, main panels 13, 15, end flaps 16, 19 and dust flaps 17, 18. Main panel 15 has score lines 27 and 28 therein which define closure panel 15a and folding flap 15b. Perforation lines 33-37 in glue flap 11, side panels 12 and 14 and main panel 13 define a tear out portion utilized when it is decided to reduce the size of the carton after part of the contents has been used. The function of the aforementioned lines will be described more fully hereinafter.

The blank shown in FIGURE 1 is formed into a glued carton shell by folding main panel 15 inwardly about score line 24 and the perforation line 33 to overlie the inner surface of side panel 14 and a portion of main panel 13, applying adhesive to the exposed inner surface of glue flap 11, and then folding side panel 12 and attached glue flap 11 inwardly about score line 22 to overlie portions of main panels 13 and 15, respectively. In the overlying position, adhesive bearing glue flap 111 becomes adhered to the edge portion of the outer surface of main panel 15. In such condition, the shell may be economically shipped to the product packager for set up, filling and closing.

FIGURE 2 depicts an initial stage in which the carton is squared and ready for filling. When the shell is squared, panels 12, I3, 14 and 15 are positioned consecutively at right angles to each other. Usually one end is closed and sealed, the carton filled and then the opposite end closed and sealed. The bottom end is closed by consecutively infolding dust flaps 17, applying adhesive to the outer surface of one of the end flaps 16, infolding the adhesive bearing end fiap about its connecting score line 29 and infolding the other end flap I6 and adhering it to the underlying adhesive-bearing end flap. The particular order of infolding the end flaps 16 is immaterial.

In closing the squared carton shell shown in FIGURE 2, dust flaps 18 are folded inwardly about score lines 25 to lie in a common plane. Next, one of the end flaps 19 is infolded about its connecting score line 26 to overlie the dust flaps 18, the exposed surface of the infolded end flap is coated with adhesive and the closure is completed by infolding the other end flap 19 and adhering it to the underlying end flap. FIGURE 3 shows the closed and completed carton.

Referring to FIGURE 4-, the carton is opened by grasping pulling tab 10 and pulling away from the carton main panel 15. Portion 11a of glue flap 11 detaches itself from main panel 15 with fiber tearing. If desired, a series of cut lines extending partially through the thickness of the carton material can be employed to facilitate detachment and limit the fiber tearing to a defined area. A typical out line configuration 39 is shown in FIGURE 4. As an alternative, the area of main panel 15 which underlies portion 11a of glue flap 11 may be coated with a preapplied layer of an adhesion reducing agent to de crease the sealing strength of the bond formed by the adhesive employed. In this case, the portion 11a readily detaches itself from the underlying main panel surface without fiber tearing when the pull tab is grasped and the carton opened. Further pulling tears the perforation lines 34 causing detachment of portion 12a from side panel 12, thus providing a dispensing opening. A por tion of the contents can be readily removed and the carton reclosed by folding portion 12a inwardly about score line 22 and tucking pull tab 10 and portion 11a inside the adjacent edge of main panel 15.

After the contents of the carton have been reduced to a level below score line 28, the cartoon can conveniently be reduced in size and reclosed to protect the remaining contents. First, portions 11a, 12a, 13a and 14:: are removed as shown in FIGURE 5 by detachment along perforation lines 36, 37 and 38. Next, the carton (shown reversed in FIGURES 5-7) is closed by folding closure panel 15a down about score line 23 to overlie and cover the opening in the lower portion of the carton. As the closure panel 15a and the attached elements, namely the upper portions of side panels 12, 14, dust flaps 18, end panels 19, and folding flap 15b, are folded down, the upper portions of side panels 12a and 14a are separated from hinged connection to main panel 13 along perforation lines 35 and 38. Finally, folding panel 151) is folded downwardly about score line 27 into overlying contacting relationship with main panel 13. The skirt portion formed by end flap 19 and the original upper portions of panels 12, 13 and 14- fits snugly over the lower corners of the carton as shown in FIGURE 7 to hold closure panel 15a in place, sealing off the contents of the carton.

In order to insure the formation of a tight reclosure with frictional contact between the skirt portion and the bottom edges of the carton certain relationships must be maintained in the carton structure. The distance C on closure panel 15a must be essentially equal to the distance a in the side panel 14, i.e. the distance between the main panels in the erected carton, and distance d on main panel 13 must be essentially equal to the sum of the distance b on folding panel 151) and distance a on side panel 14. Although it is obvious that the configuration of the carton blank as Well as the location of the score lines and lines of perforations can be varied as desired, it is essential that the relationships of distances a-d be maintained to ensure tight reclosure of the reduced carton. It is to be understood that the size and shape of the carton and the material from which it is formed may be varied in numerous Ways by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A tarnperproof, reclosable and reducible carton formed of a single suitably cut and scored blank comprising a pair of opposed main panels hingedly connected to a pair of opposed side panels; a glue flap hingedly connected to one of said side panels and overlying and adhered to the exterior edge portion of the one of said main panels; a pair of spaced lines of weakness extending from the free edge of said glue flap opposite its hinge connection through the width of said glue flap and consecutively through the widths of said one side panel, the other main panel, and the other side panel to the hinge connection of said other side panel to said one main panel; a third line of weakness extending from one of said pair of Weakness lines to an adjacent end of the carton along the common edge of said glue flap and one side panel; a fourth line of weakness extending from the other one of said pair of weakness lines to said adjacent end of the carton along the common edge of said other side panel and said one main panel; a pair of spaced score lines in said one main panel, one of which is aligned with the other one of said pair of weakness lines and the other of said pair of score lines being located between the said one of the pair of score lines and the said adjacent end of the carton; the distance between said other score line the other end of the carton being essentially equal to the Width of a side panel plus the distance between said one score line and the said adjacent end of the carton, and the distance between said pair of score lines being essentially equal to the width of a side panel.

2. The carton of claim 1 wherein the portion of the glue flap between the lines of perforations has a pull tab hingedly connected thereto.

Brown Mar. 25, 1958 Merkel et a1. Oct. 3, 1961 

1. A TAMPERPROOF, RECLOSABLE AND REDUCIBLE CARTON FORMED OF A SINGLE SUITABLY CUT AND SCORED BLANK COMPRISING A PAIR OF OPPOSED MAIN PANELS HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO A PAIR OF OPPOSED SIDE PANELS; A GLUE FLAP HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID SIDE PANELS AND OVERLYING AND ADHERED TO THE EXTERIOR EDGE PORTION OF THE ONE OF SAID MAIN PANELS; A PAIR OF SPACED LINES OF WEAKNESS EXTENDING FROM THE FREE EDGE OF SAID GLUE FLAP OPPOSITE ITS HINGE CONNECTION THROUGH THE WIDTH OF SAID GLUE FLAP AND CONSECUTIVELY THROUGH THE WIDTHS OF SAID ONE SIDE PANEL, THE OTHER MAIN PANEL, AND OTHER SIDE PANEL TO THE HINGE CONNECTION OF SAID OTHER SIDE PANEL TO SAID ONE MAIN PANEL, A THIRD LINE OF WEAKNESS EXTENDING FROM ONE OF SAID PAIR OF WEAKNESS LINES TO AN ADJACENT END OF THE CARTON ALONG THE COMMON EDGE OF SAID GLUE FLAP AND ONE SIDE PANEL; A FOURTH LINE OF WEAKNESS EXTENDING FROM THE OTHER ONE OF SAID PAIR OF WEAKNESS LINES TO SAID ADJACENT END OF THE CARTON ALONG THE COMMON EDGE OF SAID OTHER SIDE PANEL AND SAID ONE MAIN PANEL; A PAIR OF SPACED SCORE LINES IN SAID ONE MAIN PANEL, ONE OF WHICH IS ALIGNED WITH THE OTHER ONE OF SAID PAIR OF WEAKNESS LINES AND THE OTHER OF SAID PAIR OF SCORE LINES BEING LOCATED BETWEEN THE SAID ONE OF THE PAIR SCORE LINES AND THE SAID ADJACENT END OF THE CARTON; THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID OTHER SCORE LINE THE OTHER END OF THE CARTON BEING ESSENTIALLY EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF A SIDE PANEL PLUS THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID ONE SCORE LINE AND THE SAID ADJACENT END OF THE CARTON, AND THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID PAIR OF SCORE LINES BEING ESSENTIALLY EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF A SIDE PANEL. 